Blow Out18

Directed by Brian De Palma | USA | 1981 | 1h 48m | Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, Curt May

A sound technician accidentally records evidence of a political assassination while working on a low-budget horror film. As he delves deeper into the mystery, he becomes entangled in a deadly conspiracy. With its stylistic flourishes and a gritty portrayal of early-1980s Philadelphia, De Palma’s Hitchcockian take on Antonioni’s Blow Up is both a paranoid thriller reflective of its political era and a devilish meditation on the art of filmmaking.

Classic Season: Surveillance

Reviews

‘A horror movie, a paranoid political drama and a serial killer flick all at once.’
★★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times

‘A movie which continues [De Palma] practice of making cross-references to other movies, other directors, and actual historical events, and which nevertheless is his best and most original work.’
★★★★
Roger Ebert

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We showed Blow Out between July 6, 2024 and July 8, 2024.

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Saturday 13th September
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13:00

History of the UPP Talk U
When the Oxford Picture Palace (now the Ultimate Picture Palace) opened in 1911 it was Oxford's first purpose-built 'electric theatre'. Join local historian Liz Woolley for this FREE talk about Oxford's cinema history. Booking essential.

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1h 57m
Celine Song (Past Lives) reinvents the romantic comedy in this bittersweet New York love triangle starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. A matchmaker torn between a charming billionaire and her grounded ex faces hard truths about love.

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17:30

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2h 29m
During COVID lockdown, a New Mexico town erupts in conflict between sheriff and mayor. With conspiracy theories, racial tensions, and cult influences, Ari Aster’s modern Western stars Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in an unsettling vision of America.

Book here

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1h 43m
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Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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